


Fraxus Week 2016: Sacred and profane

by Anxious_Procrastinating



Series: Fraxus Week 2016 [6]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Fraxus Week, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 13:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7533883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anxious_Procrastinating/pseuds/Anxious_Procrastinating
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fraxus Week is here again!:) Spread the love! This is Day 6. Prompt: AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fraxus Week 2016: Sacred and profane

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi everyone!;) Here is my entry for Day 6 of Fraxus Week. Prompt: AU

_Norway 811 A.D._

A green haired man stumbled into a half-destroyed temple, holding his aching side as blood trickled from the several wounds his body was littered with. His was a hard decision, but he needed to do it to save his village. That was their only hope.

Freed, that was the man's name, was a Viking warrior, very respected in his community. Many would have wanted him to become a Jarl thanks to his wisdom, bravery, sense of justice, strength and great capabilities in fighting and in leadership. Command wasn't what he was interested in though, he was a traveller and that role was ill-suited for him: knowledge was the thing that mattered the most to him and to achieve it he needed to see the world. The journeys his people embarked on were mostly raids to steal things they could sell to gain money and to conquer new lands, but for him it was a huge chance to get to know other cultures and their traditions, to learn about new places. He was willing to sacrifice anything for that and his right eye was the proof.

Just like Odin, he'd made a sacrifice to achieve something he deemed greater than himself. Now a beautiful turquoise eye had been replaced with a purple iris swimming in a sea of black, sign that his humanity was slowly abandoning him. But it didn't matter to him. He had gained the necessary power to obtain what he wanted. Even if it had been painful to get it, he would do it over and over again.

Now though, he had to sacrifice his life, not for his dream, but because his village was in shambles. The Jötnar, gigantic creatures that came from Jötunheim, one of the nine realms, had come to Earth a couple of months prior and were currently wreaking havoc on the whole region where he lived. His loved ones could die any moment if he didn't do something.

He'd tried to fight against the giants, but to no avail. They were just too powerful for him. Many times he'd ended up bedridden and had been really close to death. They were also the cause of his current conditions.

He wasn't about to die, he wouldn't if he received proper cures, but his life had to end.

He was not afraid of dying, it was actually an honor in his culture to find a glorious death in battle, he'd been taught to seek that and not to fear it. Even if it was not his case, many looked forward to it. But now it was an entirely different situation.

It wouldn't be a fight the cause of his death, but a sacrifice. Now it wasn't just about him, it was about his people and those he cared about the most. He wouldn't let anyone lay a finger on them.

Swallowing his pride of warrior he'd decided to call on the gods, wanting to beg for their help. He had gone in the temple to summon Thor, the god of thunder.

In spite of the fact that his personality and interests were much closer to Odin's, Freed was devoted to Thor, as proved the lightning-shaped cowlicks that stuck out on his head.

_Many years earlier some fire demons from Muspelheim had come to Midgard and had set on fire the whole forest next to which his village lay. That fire had been the cause of the destruction of his home and the death of his parents as well as all the people in the village. He was the only survivor thanks to the Thunder God. But he hadn't lost everything that day. Among the burnt trees he'd found a new family. Two other orphaned children: Evergreen and Bickslow._

The Jötnar were Thor's sworn enemies, he had fought them and defeated them countless times. He, then, was a benevolent god, friendly to the humans. So much that many times Norse populations defined themselves 'Thor's people' instead of 'Odin's people', even if it was Odin the Allfather.

Freed though wasn't so sure about the fact that Thor would help him now. The god was indeed fond of the Midgardians, but he was giving up on his honor of warrior to plead for his help. There was no dignity in all that, so why helping a man that was no longer a man? And then, he was a sinner. He had never been scared to break a few rules. Hence, the demonic eye. And all the ways in which he'd used his runes...He could only pray that he hadn't angered the gods too much with his past actions.

He started drawing a summoning rune circle on the ground, the only light coming from the runes themselves and from the moon that was visible from the shattered roof.

Seith magic was way more effective for this kind of spells, runes served more for protection or to enhance determined abilities. The initial plan was in fact for him to enhance Bickslow's powers, but the Jötnar were close to his village and he had had to leave the Seith mage home to take care of Evergreen and protect her from eventual attacks. Evergreen was a changeling, the child of a fairy who had been exchanged with a human baby and had adapted to the human life, becoming a shieldmaiden. She, as well as Bickslow, had fought many battles alongside Freed. Recently though, she got heavily injured and had been on the brink of death for days. Now she was slowly recovering. Freed was with Bickslow, taking care of her, when he heard that the Jötnar were coming and he had to go and fight them, so that they wouldn't reach their home. That would have surely meant Evergreen's death and maybe even Bickslow's and his.

He had managed to drive them away and now there he was, in the temple, ready to kill himself for his community.

He didn't regret it. His village was more important than his own selfish desires. Maybe in another life he would be more fortunate.

With Seith magic summoning a god would have been much easier and there wouldn't have been need for such a sacrifice. But they were running out of time and he had to act fast. Runes were powerful, but tricky.

As he finished drawing the runic circle he recited an incantation:

_"Resounding through the air,_

_the roar of thunder,_

_plunge from the heavens_

_and reap destruction!_

_Appear Thor!"_

Freed now only had to plunge the blade into his heart, but he stopped for a moment, mesmerized by the thunders tearing the sky asunder and the god who had landed right in front of him causing more cracks to form on the floor.

Before he could do anything, the god moved forward and wrapped his hand around the blade. Not a single droplet of blood spilled though.

"Do not kill yourself, proud warrior. It is not your last day yet" he said and Freed felt a shiver run down his spine as orange glowing orbs observed him.

He had been ready to die, but he'd been saved. He felt relief wash over him and was ashamed that. His hands though, mechanically obeyed Thor's order and abandoned the hilt of his sword. The Thunder God threw it on the floor, far from Freed.

"Rise on your feet, Midgardian"

The Rune mage found himself unable to tear his gaze off the god in front of him, attracted by those magnetic eyes. The power radiating from him was terrific. He slowly stood up, feeling incredibly weak in comparison to Thor. But there was something reassuring in the smile the god was giving him, something that told him that the nightmare was about to end.

Thor was very intrigued by this Midgardian. He held both a good and a bad side and it fascinated him to no end. He'd kept an eye on him through Heimdall since the very first day he'd achieved full control on Rune magic.

_Freed writhed in pain on the ground, as crimson runes covered his entire body. The three rune staffs that once belonged to Odin spoke clearly: that was the last step that he needed to take to have full control on rune magic. A Seith mage needed to draw a magic circle in order for it to have otherwordly properties. Once the circle was activated, the future rune mage would live a paranormal experience, that would allow them to achieve mystic wisdom. Their task was to be able to overcome the excruciating pain that kept them bonded to their body, in order to embark on a journey to the afterlife and come back. If they didn't, they would be dead forever. If, instead, they were able to manage and survive without reporting any brain damage or traumas, then they would be worthy of wielding rune magic. Freed had struggled for an entire week, but in the end he'd come back, as a completely different man. Knowledge had brought darkness in him._

Rune magic was a divine invention. Then a man, Kettil Runske, had stolen three rune staffs from Odin, so that humans could learn how to use runes and rune magic. Unfortunately the process to gain it was extremely painful and dangerous, and very few survived or came back sane. Only those strong and mature enough could carry such a weight.

But this man had discovered the truly dark side of knowledge and power and, even after that unbearable pain, he was unafraid to withstand more and more, trial after trial, breaking rule after rule, to achieve the absolute darkness.

Sometimes Freed was scared of the things he'd seen, the things he'd done and could do. He was tempted to just stop, but then what of his dream? So he kept fighting as darkness slowly devoured him.

But Thor knew that this guy was good, deep inside. His soul was divided into two parts: a rotting one and a pure one. Even if the darkness was consuming him, Freed had managed to find a balance, he was able to still maintain his goodness. The will to sacrifice himself for other mortals who would die anyway was a sign.

Before Freed could speak, the Thunder God said: "I know the situation here on Midgard. The Jötnar have arrived here through a dimensional passage and are destroying your villages. I will help you, Freed the Dark"

Freed let out a shaky breath, utterly relieved that he would turn a blind eye on his past actions. "Thank you, Thor"

"You don't look well" the god commented. "You should stay here while I take care of the Jötnar"

"No way!" countered Freed, raising his voice. Then, realizing that he'd addressed himself to a god like that, he cleared his throat and muttered an apology. "I'm sorry. But I will fight alongside you, this is my battle. I can't let you do the whole job"

"Fine" agreed Thor with an amused smile on his face. He liked this Freed.

He took his hammer and started to make it rotate, as Freed drew the runes on his arm so that wings would appear on his back. Once Thor threw his arm up in the air and departed, Freed took off too and followed him until they landed on the battlefield.

Freed was horrified to see that the Jötnar were dangerously close to his home and that both Bickslow and a still very battered Evergreen were out there fighting. He immediately turned into a demon and let out an unearthly roar of fury that gave even the mighty Thor goosebumps. He wore a satisfied smirk on his face though.

Freed wildly charged against the Jötnar against which his friends were fighting and easily killed them. Luckily they were small ones.

"I told you to protect her!" he reprimanded Bickslow.

The Seith mage tried to justify himself. "I know, but you can see things got a bit hard here, huh?"

"Don't blame him, it was me who decided to fight" cut in Evergreen.

"You're still injured, Ever. Bickslow, go with her and find a safe place to hide" ordered Freed.

"No! I will fight!" retorted Evergreen and Freed knew that there was nothing he could do to make her change her mind.

"Fine" he agreed with a sigh. "But be careful"

With that he stormed off to fight other smaller giants, as Thor took care of the biggest ones. Evergreen and Bickslow gave them assistance and helped those who couldn't fight to escape.

It was one hell of a fight, even for Thor who was really having the time of his life. As Freed helped him, he noticed that there was a perfect chemistry between them, something he'd never found with anyone else. He was getting so excited though, that he was careless and an attack was about to hit him. Freed immediately noticed, and, realizing that it could cause a lot of damage to the Thunder God and thinking that if he was knocked out, it would be the end for Midgard, he stood in the path of the blow, which, for him, who wasn't a god, was lethal.

"FREED!" shouted Thor, as he saw him being hit by that attack that was meant for him and taking in just how much that fragile body had been harmed.

The Rune mage was now lying on the ground, he had shifted back to his human form and was sporting a massive wound in his chest. Blood came out copiously from it and Thor tried to stop the bleeding as best as he could.

"Idiot, I would have survived!" he said, panicking.

"I know" Freed managed to whisper. He was wheezing. "But...it would have caused... you...a lot of damage... You're...our only...hope, Thor"

The Thunder God saw the tears shimmering in Freed's eyes and felt fury coursing through his veins. Thunders started to boom in the distance, coming closer and closer. "Don't you dare to die, Freed. You must survive" he ordered. Freed couldn't die. He had plans for him. For them.

"I won't" Freed promised with a smile that showed a bit of bloodied teeth.

Thor carried him in a place far from the battle and told Evergreen and Bickslow to take care of him while he got rid of the remaining enemies. The Jötnar had made him _very_ angry. They were going to pay and suffer.

The Thunder God let his movements be guided by blind fury and the giants were finally slaughtered.

When he got back to Freed and the others, he found the Rune mage passed out, still bleeding and in dire need of cures. Evergreen and Bickslow feared for his life.

Thor knew that it was against the rules, but he didn't care, he couldn't lose this human. He cared too much about him to let him die. He cradled him in his arms and ordered Evergreen and Bickslow to hold onto him. Then he shouted: "HEIMDALL! OPEN THE BIFROST!"

Immediately the four were enshrouded in a bright light and magically teleported to Asgard. There, Thor made Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen receive the best cures. With Asgard's technology he was sure that the Rune mage would survive.

A few days later.

Freed woke up from his sleep and, looking around himself he noticed that he was in an unfamiliar place. He was in a really comfortable bed, with silky sheets, in a room with golden walls.

He was still a bit in pain, but nothing he couldn't bear. He turned his head to his side and saw Evergreen and Bickslow sleeping. They looked fine. That was good.

On the other side sat Thor, who grinned seeing the surprise in the Rune mage's eyes.

"You're awake. Finally"

"Thor…what...happened?" he managed to say.

Thor gave him a bit of water and then answered: "After you passed out I defeated all the giants. I brought you and your friends to Asgard so that you would receive proper cures"

"How long have I been out?" he asked in a still feeble voice.

"Three days"

"Shit". He tried to sit up, but he really didn't have much strength. The Thunder god, noticing, immediately stopped him, telling him to lay down. Freed could do nothing but obey.

After a while, he said: "Thank you for saving Midgard and our lives"

"If you really want to show me your gratitude" retorted Thor, inching his face closer and closer to Freed's. "You should do this". He pressed his lips against Freed's with a tenderness that the Rune mage didn't think Thor was capable of and the two shared a soft kiss.

When they pulled away, Freed's cheeks were flushed and Thor smirked. "Fuck, I had been wanting to do that for a while" he admitted.

"What does this mean?" the smaller man asked, pleased but very confused.

"I want you to stay in Asgard" answered the Thunder God. "Be with me. Fight by my side. I want us to live our lives together"

It felt too good to be true. "But...I could never leave Evergreen and Bickslow" he said, sadness clear in his voice.

"They can stay too" Thor assured. "I really like them. You'll all be my loyal companions, the Raijinshuu" he said with a smile.

"I really love the way it sounds. It looks like a dream" the Rune mage said, still in disbelief.

"It's not a dream. From now on, you are, to all intents and purposes, an immortal citizen of Asgard"

"I will never be able to thank you enough, Thor!" breathed out Freed.

The Thunder god kissed him again and then whispered in his ear: "Just keep in mind that kisses are always very appreciated"

**Author's Note:**

> I have a bit of explanation to do for those who are not familiar with Norse mythology and the Marvel Universe :P This is a mix of both :P
> 
> According to them there are nine realms:
> 
> -Midgard (Earth)
> 
> -Asgard (the place where the gods live)
> 
> -Nidavellir (where dwarves live)
> 
> -Hel/Niflheim (their hell)
> 
> -Jötunheim (where the giants live)
> 
> -Muspelheim (where the fire demons live)
> 
> -Alfheim (where light elves live)
> 
> -Svartalfheim (where dark, evil elves live)
> 
> -Vanaheim (where the Vanir live)
> 
> These realms are connected to each other through the cosmic tree, Yggdrasil. Normally the way to pass from a realm to another is the Bifrost, which works as a bridge of sort (it's much cooler). Its guardian is Heimdall, a man who can see everything that happens in the nine realms. In Thor The Dark World though, it is shown that there are also interdimensional portals that allow to travel from a world to another.
> 
> In Norse mythology, Odin has created the runes and has sacrificed his eye to Mimir to gain wisdom. To learn how to use runes he stays hung for nine days and nine nights to a tree. I preferred something different for Freed, similar to when Ultear unlocked Natsu, Lucy, Erza and Gray's Second Origin.
> 
> In Vikings' society a Jarl is the headchief of a community. From what I could gather he is appointed by nobles.
> 
> There were also Seith mages in the Vikings' society. Seith magic mostly consisted in divination and summonings. Not much fairy-related stuff though, as they are more typical of Celtic mythology. Though I found this changeling thing that also happened in Scandinavia, so here.
> 
> A shieldmaiden is a woman who decided to fight as a warrior, just like a man would.
> 
> Freed, Evergreen and Bickslow becoming Laxus's companions is a reference to Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. In Norse mythology Sif is actually a goddess, Thor's wife. In Marvel movies she is an Asgardian warrior. I think the Raijinshuu make for way better companions :P
> 
> The Jötnar are simple giants in Norse mythology, whereas they are Frost giants in the Marvel movies.
> 
> The incantation to summon Thor is the formula Laxus invented for his Raging Bolt :P
> 
> I think I explained everything that had to be explained!:) If you want to know more just ask ;)
> 
> I hope you all liked this and that things aren't rushed or that there aren't typos or grammar mistakes, as I'm really sleepy and my proofreading could be a little inaccurate :P Byeee :)


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